It's the drill on everyone's mind Wednesday as the nation prepares for an earthquake drill as part of The New Zealand ShakeOut.

The ShakeOut is a campaign by the Ministry of Civil Defence to increase awareness of emergency preparedness and educate the public on how they can keep safe in the event of an earthquake.

At 9.26 Wednesday an estimated 1.2 million New Zealanders will hear the Civil Defence drill and drop, cover and hold.

Mediaworks Waikato promotions manager, Kieran Welsby, said both The Breeze and More FM are official Civil Emergency stations and will be playing the Civil Defence siren.

''We'll be simulating it as best as possible,'' he said.

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Mr Welsby said Mediaworks staff would also be participating in the exercise and be ''dropping, covering and holding.''

New Zealand ShakeOut will be the first ShakeOut earthquake drill held nationwide in the world and will be the biggest earthquake public education campaign ever staged in New Zealand.

Te Rapa Primary School assistant principal, Robyn Pilcher said the pupils have had a focus on the Earthquake commission and had been practicing the drop cover and hold drill in class in preparation for the ShakeOut.

Waikato organisations who have registered to be part of ShakeOut include NZ Police, Mighty River Power, Fonterra, Mystery Creek events centre, as well as several other local businesses, schools and kindergartens.